RED Announces Raven - takes on URSA Mini 4.6K, Sony FS7

Seven years after the "3K for $3K" Scarlet debacle, RED is delivering 4K for $6K with the EF mount $5950 (brain only) RED RAVEN.

Ready to shoot, with a V-Lock battery mount, touch screen LCD, 120GB RED MAG and handle, RAVEN will be less than $10,000.  Not quite #4K4ALL, but a lot closer than we've seen from RED to date.

Nice beauty shots in the intro video:



Sadly, there is no footage from the camera yet, but we have seen enough from RED sensors and color science to be fairly confident in Raven's ability to produce theatrical quality images.

With a brain-only weight of 3.5 lbs, 4K/120p and 2K/240p recorded internally to REDCODE RAW and an advertised 16.5(!) stops of latitude - this is going to be a powerful tool for filmmakers. RED says it's versatile enough for "documentaries, online and television" - but indies will almost certainly choose this camera for feature films on a budget.

But it's still relatively expensive.  Ready to shoot, it will cost about the same as a C300 Mark II - but that's not saying much. For shooters upgrading from DSLRs or entry level Super 35 cameras, Raven is going to be a very hard sell  - especially when you add the price of a viewfinder, ND filter and rigging.

A similarly equipped URSA Mini 4.6K EF will be $4995 plus the cost of a 128GB CFast 2.0 card (currently $249) while the Sony FS7 (with LCD, viewfinder and built-in NDs)  is $7999 and a 128GB XQD card is $685.

Here's our usual side-by-side specs comparison with cameras in the same price class (excluding 8-bit cameras such as the Sony FS5, Panasonic DVX200, Canon C100 and JVC LS300):

	Mini 4.6K EF	RED RAVEN	Sony PXW-FS7	Canon C300 II
Body Only Price	$4995	$5950	$7999	$15999
OEM Viewfinder	$1495 option	$3200 option	Yes	Yes
Sensor Size	25.34x14.25mm	20.48x10.88mm	25.5x15.6mm	24.4x13.5mm
Lens Mount	EF (add $500 for PL)	EF	Sony E	EF or PL
Max Resolution	4608x2592	4096x2160	4096x2160	4096x2160
Sensor S/N (advertised)	NA	80dB	57dB	NA
Dynamic Range (advertised)	15	16.5+	NA	NA
Max HD Frame Rate	120fps	120fps (240fps at 2K)	240fps	120fps
Codec	ProRes 422 or CDNG RAW	RED RAW, ProRes 422 (2K only)	XAVC 4:2:2 (ext. RAW)	XF-AVC 4:2:2 (4:4:4 HD)
Shutter	Selectable Global/Rolling	Rolling	Rolling	Rolling
Mic Input(s)	2xXLR w phantom	None	2xXLR w phantom	2xXLR w phantom
Headphone Output(s)	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
SDI Out(s)	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Storage	2xCFast 2.0	MINI MAG	2xXQD	2xCFast 2.0/1xSD
In Body Stabilization	No	No	No	No
ND Filter	No	No	Yes	Yes
Native Power Zoom	NA	NA	$548	$31K
Weight	5 lbs.	3.5 lbs.	4.4 lbs.	7.4 lbs.

Again, specs aren't everything - and neither is price - but, in my view, it is useful to know what you're getting for your money.

RED RAVEN is a significant camera. With an advertised March 2016 ship date, we should see it on the show floor alongside URSA Mini at NAB next spring.  I can't wait.

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New Sony FS5 - URSA Mini Killer?

Today, 5 months after NAB 2015, Sony has launched a major counterattack against the URSA Mini (which finally started shipping yesterday).

The new $6699 (body only) Sony PXW-FS5 is a lightweight Super 35, E mount camera with a 240 fps super slow motion burst capability, a built-in electronic ND filter and compatibility with affordable Sony power zooms (such as the $548 Sony 18-105mm constant f/4).

As usual, Sony's marketing department had a sample video ready on the day of the announcement, something Blackmagic has not done in the 5 months since NAB:

Here's a BTS and interview with Producer Den Lennie and DP Mick Jones:

The size, weight and image quality from this camera appear to be ideal for independent narrative and documentary filmmakers.  Its compatibility with affordable power zoom lenses is an added bonus, and will probably cut into sales of the $4195 fixed lens Panasonic DVX200.

Here is a table comparing the specs between the FS5, both models of the URSA Mini and the Canon C300 Mark II (Canon's lowest priced 4K Super 35 camcorder).

	Mini 4K EF	Mini 4.6K EF	Sony PXW-FS5	Canon C300 II
Body Only Price	$2995	$4995	$5599	$15999
OEM Viewfinder	$1495 option	$1495 option	Yes	Yes
Sensor Size	Super 35	Super 35	Super 35	Super 35
Lens Mount	EF (add $500 for PL)	EF (add $500 for PL)	Sony E	EF or PL
Max Resolution	4000x2160	4608x2592	3840x2160 (paid upgrade to 4096x2160)	4096x2160
Max HD Frame Rate	120fps	120fps	240fps	120fps
Codec	ProRes 422 or RAW	ProRes 422 or RAW	XAVC 4:2:0 (4:2:2 HD, paid upgrade to ext. RAW)	XF-AVC 4:2:2 (4:4:4 HD)
Shutter	Global	Selectable Global/Rolling	Rolling	Rolling
Mic Input(s)	2xXLR w phantom	2xXLR w phantom	2xXLR w phantom	2xXLR w phantom
Headphone Output(s)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
SDI Out(s)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Storage	2xCFast 2.0	2xCFast 2.0	2xSD	2xCFast 2.0
In Body Stabilization	No	No	No	No
ND Filter	No	No	Electronic	Yes
Native Power Zoom	NA	NA	$548	$31K
Still Photos	No	No	No	No
Weight	5 lbs.	5 lbs.	1.8 lbs.	7.4 lbs.

Bottom line - this looks like a nice little camera - 240 fps, the ND filter, the OLED viewfinder and HD 4:2:2 are great features - and it produces nice looking UHD images on YouTube - but $6699 is a whole lot of money to pay for 100mbps 8-bit 4:2:0 UHD.

The Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K EF (with the OEM viewfinder) is $209 less for a camera with higher resolution straight out of the box - plus built in 12-bit RAW recording (of course, that extra $209 might pay for one CFast 2.0 card).

All of that said, both of these are great cameras - Sony and Blackmagic are to be commended for giving filmmakers such terrific tools at these prices.

EDIT: Hat tip to reddit user /u/zdubs1, who points out that the pre-order price for the FS5 is actually $5599 , $1100(!) less than the $6699 list price.

This makes the FS5 a whole lot more attractive, and a real threat to cameras such as the $5499 Canon C100 Mark II, which is limited to 1920x1080p maximum resolution and has no upgrade path the 4K or RAW.

Three important new reviews: Bloom on FS7; Johnston on LS300 and Behiri on XC10

Three of my favorite reviewers have published reviews/previews of their thoughts on some of 2014/2015's most interesting new cameras, the $7999 Sony PXW-FS7, the $3995 JVC GY-LS300 and the $2499 Canon XC10. I wanted to put them all in one place for those of you who are interested in these cameras.

Phil Bloom's look at the FS7 is a preview for one of his much longer reviews, which is still to come. He is trying out a new way of funding his reviews, a GoFundMe page, which I support. I just rented the LS300 in order to review it here, and it does cost a lot of time and money to put something worthwhile together.

Here's what the two Phils and Johnnie were able to do with these cameras:







As long time readers know, HCR has been in the market for a large sensor camcorder for a while - but we haven't decided yet. These cameras are all on the list - as is the URSA Mini - and these reviews are certainly helpful as we make the final decision. I am personally very grateful to these three guys for these tests.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, what a great time to be a film/video maker!

Five 4K camcorders threatened by the $2995 4K Blackmagic URSA Mini

Images courtesy eriknaso.com

Thanks to Noam Kroll and Erik Naso, we have a pretty good idea of what Blackmagic Magic will unveil in Vegas this morning - to include a truly revolutionary $2995 URSA Mini Super 35 camcorder, with interchangeable lenses, a global shutter, Blackmagic's standard CinemDNG RAW, 4K, 12 stops of DR (15 stops on the $4995 4.6K model), an optional EVF and easy compatibility with a shoulder mount.

Even before we see the detailed specs from the Blackmagic press event, we do know one thing - there has to be consternation in the executive suites at AJA, Arri, Canon, JVC, Panasonic and Sony (which is exactly what Blackmagic CEO Grant Petty set out to do when he started building cameras a few years ago).

If URSA Mini can deliver URSA's RAW image quality (or better) for $2995, here are the five 4K cameras that it clearly threatens:



1. $40K Arri Amira. Recently upgraded to 4K, this camera produces amazing images in a near-perfect shoulder mounted form factor. And with Arri color science, it is a perfect match for industry-standard Alexa. But at $40K, its cost is prohibitive for most indies and micro-budget filmmakers. This camera will continue to see considerable use at the high end of the market, but for indies, the price mismatch between Amira and URSA Mini is ridiculous - you could buy a Mini for less than the price of renting an Amira for a week.



2. $16K Canon C300 Mark II (and $2.5K XC10). Canon's pre-NAB announcement of these cameras was clearly designed to steal the limelight at the show. URSA Mini has pretty much stolen it back. The C300 Mark II costs 5 times is much and lacks the Mini's internal raw recording.  Plus, it requires expensive rigging to get it up on your shoulder. As for the XC10 - it costs almost as much as Mini, but is a fixed lens, 1" sensor toy by comparison.



3. $9K AJA CION. Beautiful ProRes images in good light and nice shoulder mounted ergonomics - but no internal RAW. Overpriced compared to every Blackmagic RAW camera, to include Mini.



4. $8K Sony PXW-FS7. With its shoulder mount, optional viewfinder and extensible hand grip, URSA Mini appears to be a clone of the FS7 - but for $5000 less. Plus, Mini has the internal 4K RAW recording the FS7 lacks.



5. $4K JVC GY-LS300. URSA Mini very nearly strangles the LS300 in its cradle. JVC introduced this promising camera late last year, but has yet to ship it in meaningful numbers in the States. Despite the fact that its h.264 compression gave it the weakest codec of any of the cameras on this list,  it had the advantage of being the lowest priced UHD "4K" Super 35 interchangeable lens camera on the market - until today. Unfortunately for JVC, even with the viewfinder and a shoulder mount, Mini will be about the same price as the LS300 - with higher resolution, wider DR and a superior codec - and the LS300 is another camera that needs expensive rigging to get it up on your shoulder.

As far as Panasonic goes, we don't know much about their new "heir of DVX100" camcorder yet, but if it is not competitive on price, it will be stillborn at this morning's press conference.

Bottom line is that URSA Mini will force prices down even faster and further than we have seen already over the past couple of years.   Even if you never buy a Blackmagic camera, you should send Grant Petty a thank you note (unless, of course, you just bought a $2995 4K Blackmagic Production Camera).

Please keep checking back during the day for more updates - and for HCR's view of what all of this means for micro-budget shooters.

As always, if anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision, please shop using the links above or the displays below and in the margins. And even if you're not in the market for a new camera, please comment and make suggestions below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

And for the latest deals, news, tips and techniques, please follow HCR on Blogger, Twitter and YouTube  - and circle us on Google+.

Sony PXW-X70 getting its 4K upgrade in June - priced at 485€

Click on the image above to order the Sony PXW-X70 from Amazon

A few days ago, Sony Europe announced several new firmware upgrades for its PXW cameras, to include a free 4096x2160 4K upgrade for its shoulder mounted $7999 Super 35mm camcorder, the PXW-FS7.

Seemingly lost in the hoopla around the FS7 news, another important upgrade was part of that announcement - a paid 3840x2160 UHD upgrade for Sony's $2299 1" sensor camcorder, the PXW-X70.

Sadly, at a rumored price of 485€ (about $550USD) for the upgrade, the X70 would become a $2850 UHD "4K" camera - a little more expensive than I had hoped - but also a possible opportunity for JVC.

Click on the image above to pre-order the JVC GY-HM200 from Adorama

With its built-in XLR jacks, ND filters and Wi-fi streaming, JVC's new 1/2.3" sensor camcorder, the $2695 UHD GY-HM200 (scheduled to ship in late March) now becomes the lowest cost pro UHD camcorder on the horizon.

When it ships, the HM200 will become the only game in town for shooters who need a pro UHD or 4K camcorder below the price of the $2799 Panasonic HC-X1000 between March and June (the start of wedding season).

It will be interesting to see whether Sony ends up reducing the price of the X70 UHD upgrade in the face of lower priced UHD/4K competition from JVC and Panasonic.  Let's hope so.

As always, if anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision, please shop using the links above or the displays below and in the margins. And even if you're not in the market for a new camera, please comment and make suggestions below. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

And for the latest deals, news, tips and techniques, please follow HCR on Blogger, Twitter and YouTube  - and circle us on Google+.

Canon C300 Killer? $8000 4K/60p Sony PXW-FS7 Out-Specs $12,000 Canon C300

 VERSUS

Okay, you've probably already heard that Sony has decided to go all-in on support for Super 35mm independent filmmaking with the brand new $7999 4K/60p PXW-FS7 camcorder, announced at IBC 2014 overnight (press release here, specs here).

From the specs and early hands-on videos from Sony Professional and Cinema 5D (see below for early video) - the FS7 appears to be a full-on frontal assault on the more expensive Canon C300 (which is currently marked down from $13,999 to $11,999). And with the FS7's $1999 XDCA-FS7 Extension Unit and its ability to output ProRes and RAW  (shown in the images below), it becomes a $20,000 Canon C500 killer too.



Here's the camera with the XDCA-FS7 mounted (it's also a V mount adapter):






With this camera, independent filmmakers will be able to rent a $10,000 camera (a quarter of the price of an Arri Amira), throw it over their shoulders and go out and record directly to 4K without a bunch of external recorders or rigging.

My guess is that a lot of news organizations will buy this camera too, especially if, as expected, it works seamlessly with the SELP 18-200 power zoom.

James Tonkin shooting with the FS7 in Japan (image courtesy of Sony Professional)

Sony deserves a lot of credit here. Not only for reclaiming the entry-level Super 35 lead from Canon - but for listening to users' complaints about the ergonomics of the NEX-FS700, with its top mounted LCD and boxy form factor.  They also deserve credit for being willing to cannibalize the sales of their own FS700 and PMW-F5 - offering a higher-spec shoulder mounted camera with built-in 4K at a lower price point.

In my view, this will earn them a lot of loyalty from consumers - and, in the long run, will be more profitable than Canon's strategy of "protecting the high end by crippling the entry level".

Early video from this camera is solid, and the demonstrations of the built-in shoulder mount and control grip in the hands on videos are impressive.  These features are not only extremely useful, they will save shooters a lot of money because they won't have to spend thousands of extra dollars on third party shoulder mounts and control grips.

Here are the best videos I could find as of this post (I will update this over the next few days as more become available, so please check back):

Thanks from Nigel Akam

Sony PXW-FS7: another UHD XAVC very quick test from Filippo Chiesa

Sony PXW-FS7 UHD XAVC very quick test (one hour in my garden) from Filippo Chiesa

Sphere Of Light -SONY PXW-FS7- 4K from Yoshihiro Enatsu

A Night in Amsterdam with the Sony PXW-FS7 from Alister Chapman

The Cheesemonger - FS7 Camera Test Project from Ben Allan ACS

Just this morning from Jason Wingrove

.

Sony Professional: PXW-FS7 Official Promotion Movie

Sony Professional: PXW-FS7 Official FullHD Beauty Image

Sony Professional: FS7 First Footage

Sony Professional: BTS with the PXW-FS7, Den Lennie and James Tonkin

First look video courtesy of Sony Professional with Juan Martinez and Chiyoko Yannette

Cinema 5D Exclusive: Sony FS7 hands-on (courtesy Cinema 5D)
It seems to me that the only downside to this camera is the lack of a global shutter and internal RAW recording - features available on the sub-$3000 Blackmagic Production Camera. But those omissions are offset by the thoughtful ergonomics, a proven professional codec and an upgrade path to true 4K in 2015. In my view, this camera is well worth the $8000 list price - and is the first camcorder that has tempted me to sell all of my Panasonic GH cameras. Well done, Sony.

If anything here has helped you to make a purchase decision, please shop using the links above or the displays below and in the margins. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help to keep these posts coming.

And for the latest deals, news, tips and techniques, please follow HCR on Blogger, Twitter and YouTube and circle us on Google+ Thanks for your support of the revolution!